Interest Rates Are High. GOP Presidential Candidates Need To Get Serious About It.
They will either reduce the ability to spend money or to cut taxes.
Fiscal policy
On Economic Issues, the Populist Right and Left Share a Lot of Common Ground
That's bad news for Americans.
All I Want for Christmas Is for Congress To Exercise Fiscal Restraint
Lawmakers can take small steps that are uncontroversial and bipartisan to jumpstart the fiscal stability process.
Welcome to the Hyperbole Factory
Plus: A listener asks the editors to consider the libertarian argument against shopping local.
Congress Is Trying To Avoid Taking Responsibility for the Debt Crisis It Created
A fiscal commission might be a good idea, but it's also the ultimate expression of Congress' irresponsibility.
Here's One Way To Move Toward Responsible Government and Sane Fiscal Policy
The Copenhagen Consensus has long championed a cost-benefit approach for addressing the world's most critical environmental problems.
The U.S. Needs a Fiscal Commission Because Congress Won't Do Its Job
In the last 50 years, when the budget process has been in place, Congress has managed only four times to pass a budget on time.
Spending Recklessly in Good Times Is a Recipe for Disaster in Bad Times
Years ago, when interest rates were low, calls for the federal government to exercise fiscal restraint were dismissed. That was unwise.
Jim Jordan Is Trying To Buy the Speakership With Tax Breaks for Wealthy Residents of Blue States
It's a maneuver that makes little fiscal, philosophical, or political sense, but thankfully it also seems unlikely to work.
Americans Learned a Lesson About Interest Rates. Washington Has Not.
Higher rates lead to more debt, and more debt begets higher rates, and on and on. Get the picture?
No, Low Interest Rates Did Not Justify Adding Trillions of Dollars to the National Debt
Especially because the once-dismissed possibility of rising rates is now a reality.
Inflation Won't Go Away Until Congress Gets the Deficit Under Control
The Federal Reserve's higher interest rates were supposed to trigger changes to fiscal policy. So far, that hasn't happened.
The Real Scandal in Washington Is the Government's Reckless Spending
Those sounding the loudest alarms about possible shutdowns are largely silent when Congress ignores its own budgetary rules. All that seems to matter is that government is metaphorically funded.
Congress Is Still Using 'Emergency Spending' on Non-Emergencies
Since Congress won't cut spending, an independent commission may be the only way to rein in the debt.
Don't Let the Government-Shutdown Charade Distract You From the Debt Crisis
America’s biggest fiscal challenge lies in the unchecked growth of federal health care and old-age entitlement programs.
China Is No Economic Model for America
The country's current struggles show the problems of the Beijing way—and make the case for freedom.
Politicians Continue To Make a Mockery of 'Emergency Spending'
Legislators abuse the emergency label to push through spending that would otherwise violate budget constraints.
The U.S. Government's Bad Credit Means Higher Costs for Us All
Federal officials ignore repeated warnings, and we all pay the price.
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Is the Budget Process Broken, or Is Congress Just Refusing To Do Its Job?
Since Congress designed and implemented the last budget process in 1974, only on four occasions have all of the appropriations bills for discretionary spending been passed on time.
The Next President Needs To Cut Spending
At a minimum, the national debt should be smaller than the size of the economy. A committed president just might be able to deliver.
Economic Freedom Is Declining in the U.S.
We once ranked No. 4 in the world, according to the Heritage Foundation. Now we're 25th.
Taxing the Rich Will Have No Meaningful Effect on Our Sky-High National Debt
The U.S. tax system is extremely progressive, even compared to European countries—whose governments rely on taxing the middle class.
Conservatives Pushing 'Common Good Capitalism' Sound a Lot Like Progressives
The ideology champions the same tired policies that big government types predictably propose whenever they see something they don't like.
The Debt Ceiling Fight Is a Reminder of America's Dire Fiscal Future
The longer we wait to address our debt, the more painful it will be.
Vivek Ramaswamy Is Wrong About the National Debt
We can't grow our way out of its ruinous economic impact. The only way forward is to cut spending.
Don't Believe the Media Fearmongering About Spending Cuts
In 2019, discretionary spending was $1.338 trillion—or some $320 billion less than what Republicans want that side of the budget to be.
The Biden Administration Reduced the Debt-to-GDP Ratio in the Worst Possible Way
The main driver behind the reduction is inflation—inflation that politicians created with their irresponsible spending.
The Federal Reserve Was Supposed To Ease Economic Instability. Instead, It's Made It Worse.
A responsible political class would significantly reform the organization. Instead, they will likely continue to give it more power.
Republicans' and Democrats' Refusal To Reform Social Security and Medicare Is Political Malpractice
In 10 years, the programs' funds will be insolvent. Over the next 30 years, they will run a $116 trillion shortfall.
America Needs a Better Kind of Capitalism
Big corporations and entire industries constantly use their connections in Congress to get favors, no matter which party is in power.
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
Democrats Say They Support Green Energy. Why Do Their Policies Say Otherwise?
If you look closely, you'll find a lot of contradictions.
COVID Stimulus Spending Played 'Sizable Role' in Inflation
Fiscal stimulus during the pandemic contributed to an increase in inflation of about 2.6 percentage points.
Social Security Is on the Brink of Collapse. The GOP Won't Touch It.
In 1950, there were more than 16 workers for every beneficiary. In 2035, that ratio will be only 2.3 workers per retiree.
The GOP's Current Plan To Cut Spending Is a Political Failure
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are still the chief drivers of our future debt. But Republicans aren't touching them.
Fixing Congress' Broken Appropriations Process Is Worth This Mess
This week's Republican revolt against Kevin McCarthy is actually a rank-and-file revolt against the top-down process that both parties have used to control the House in recent years.
Ignoring the Anti-McCarthy Faction's Avowed Goals, The New York Times Sees Only 'Chaos and Confusion'
The paper attributes the fight over the election of the next House speaker to "anti-establishment fervor" and a lust for "personal power."
Congress and the Federal Reserve Could Be Setting Us Up for Economic Disaster
If lawmakers keep spending like they are, and if the Fed backs down from taming inflation, then the government may create a perfect storm.
The Failure To Enact Marijuana Banking and Crack Sentencing Reforms Is a Window on Congressional Dysfunction
Although both bills have broad bipartisan support, they never got a vote in the Senate and were excluded from the omnibus spending bill.
$70 Million for Salmon, $3 Million for Bee-Friendly Highways, and More Absurdities in the Omnibus Spending Bill
Plus: An attempt to criminalize porn, D.C. hopes making tourism more expensive will boost tourism, and more…
Poll: Republican Voters Were Mad About Inflation, Not Trans People
It's still the economy, stupid.
Republicans Need an Actual Plan To Grow the Economy
The biggest beneficiaries of economic growth are poor people. But the deepest case for economic growth is a moral one.
Here's Why Biden Is Wrong About the Deficit
His administration has expanded deficits by $400 billion more than expected, even before we count recent spending.
Matt Welch Talks Taxes on The Reason Rundown With Peter Suderman
The latest episode of The Reason Rundown features The Reason Roundtable host and Editor at Large Matt Welch.
Matt Welch: Dems Want To Spend Your Money To Take More of Your Money
Editor at Large Matt Welch gives a reality check on the new IRS measures inside the Inflation Reduction Act.
Fixing Our Economic Woes Is as Easy as Looking to the Past
The economy is spinning, but we’ve proven there are viable ways to slow it down to more bearable levels.
